Diamonds Affair

The diamonds affair, known in France as "l'affaire des diamants", was a major political scandal in the 5th French Republic. In 1973, the then Minister of Finance, president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was offered two diamonds from the Emperor of the Central African Empire, the notorious dictator Bokassa I. The affair was unveiled by the satiric newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné on October 10, 1979, towards the end of Giscard's presidency. It contributed to Giscard losing his 1981 reelection bid.